


Fading Fast

by Aceofstars16



Series: Zero Hour AU [1]
Category: Star Wars: Rebels
Genre: AU, F/M, Other, Star Wars Rebels: AU, Zero Hour AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-30
Updated: 2017-03-30
Packaged: 2018-10-13 01:54:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,209
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10504002
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aceofstars16/pseuds/Aceofstars16
Summary: This is an idea that me andmeldy-artscame up with, and she's drawn two pictures for it so far -first part,second part.This is an AU of "Zero Hour" where Ezra gets hurt in the gravity well explosion. At the moment, it is only one part, but I have ideas/plans to write multiple parts in the future...Spoiler Alert for Zero Hour! Nothing too major, since it is an AU, but just a general warning.





	

**Author's Note:**

> [Tumblr post](http://aceofstars16.tumblr.com/post/158898295563/fading-fast)

Something was wrong. Sabine didn’t know how she could tell, but something in her gut tightened and she jolted her head around just in time to see the explosion. The explosion her and her clan had just caused. But there was one person who hadn’t cleared the blast zone.

“Ezra!” Sabine screamed, trying to warn him. She reached out her hand, a futile attempt to reach him. But he was too far away. The blast hit him. Even from her position, Sabine knew it wasn’t good. Her heart tightened in her chest and she angled herself towards him. She didn’t care about the blast, the fire, the mission - she just had to get to Ezra.

Voices sounded in her comms, but she couldn’t make out anything, couldn’t focus on anything as she neared Ezra. And as she reached him, her throat closed up and a choked sob escaped her mouth.

He was floating in space, completely unconscious. His space suit was badly damaged, she didn’t know if it was even protecting him at all. And his helmet was cracked.

“No…” Sabine whispered as she flew up to him and gently pulled him into her arms, hoping to protect him from the debris and the elements of space. But even as she did so, she knew it was a futile attempt.

“Sabine, what’s going on?” A voice broke through the fog of Sabine’s mind – Hera.

Opening her mouth, Sabine tried to explain the situation, but the only words that came out were. “It’s Ezra…”

“We’ll be right there.”

The next few minutes felt like an eternity. The battle raged around them. Explosions filled the air. But there was an earie calm surrounding them. A quiet stillness that reached deep into Sabine’s heart and kept her frozen in place.

Then the Ghost arrived and Sabine was inside. As soon as she was free from the vacuum of space, Sabine pulled off Ezra’s helmet. She didn’t know how much it had aided him, but now that they were in oxygenated air, he didn’t need it, now it would only hinder his breathing. Pulling off her own helmet, Sabine quickly pressed her ear against his chest. At first she didn’t hear anything, but then a weak heartbeat sounded. He was alive…

Letting out a breath, Sabine closed her eyes and tried to gather her thoughts, tried to assure herself that Ezra was okay. He just needed treatment. His back…she needed to check his back, to bandage him up.

As soon as she twisted Ezra to his side, her mind blanked again. His back was burned, bad. She had never seen anything like it, not in all of her years of fighting. How could anyone survive this?

A heaviness settled down on Sabine, a realization that some wounds couldn’t be healed. Some people didn’t make it. And right now Ezra might be one of them. The last conversation she had with him would’ve been silly banter, nothing about how much he had come to mean to her. How he had become such an important part of her life, of her adopted family.

Gently turning him over, Sabine studied his face. He looked so calm, so at peace. It was almost as if he was sleeping…But his shallow breaths reminded her of his broken state, of the thin line he was walking.

“Ezra…” She whispered, entwining her fingers with his as she spoke, wishing so much for him to open his eyes, to smile at her, to joke around with her like they always did. But his eyes stayed closed.

The worry and pain in Sabine’s chest weighed her down. She wanted to fight it, to be strong, to assure herself he would be okay. But that was a lie and she knew it. Tears built up in her eyes. She couldn’t fight them back, and she pulled Ezra closed to her. Seeking comfort from him that would never come.

“Please, Ezra…please…”

“Sabine!” A muffled voice sounded through the comms, coming from Sabine’s helmet. Someone yelling her name. A reminder that there was still a battle going on.

In a daze, Sabine grabbed the comms, opening her mouth to reply, but her voice caught in her throat. The rebellion needed her. Her clan needed her. Hera was yelling about the Indictor still being intact. Tristan was shouting for Sabine. But Sabine couldn’t move. She couldn’t leave Ezra.

“Sabine! Pick up!” Hera yelled from the other end of the comms. The worry and stress lining Hera’s voice pressed on Sabine. She couldn’t leave Hera in the dark.

“I…I’m here…I just…Ezra, he…” Sabine swallowed and held Ezra a little tighter. He felt like a dead weight in her arms, but he couldn’t be gone. She had to believe that.

Silence followed, then. “They still need you out there Sabine.” Hera’s voice was quiet, broken, but it was still firm, a gentle firmness of someone trying to stay strong for others.

“I…I can’t…” Sabine said quietly, cringing as she heard Tristan shouting for her again. She didn’t know what was going on outside, but she couldn’t bring herself to move. Ezra needed her.

More voices shouted over the comms, confused rebels who were suddenly cut off, Hera’s voice growing louder and louder, though a panic lined her voice – something that didn’t quite reflect her usual authoritative voice.

It was all too much. Sabine could feel her internal walls collapsing under the pressure of it all, under the fear and pain. It built up in her chest until a sob escaped her mouth, then another, until she was crying into Ezra’s silent body. She couldn’t do this, not now, not when he friend might be dying.

A hand rested of Sabine’s shoulder and her head jerked up. Kanan had his hand on her shoulder, the worry was evident in his clouded eyes, but there was a calmness about him.

“Kanan, I-” her voice cracked and any semblance of control she had broke down again. Her arms drooped, resting Ezra on the ground. And then flung herself into Kana’s chest and grabbed onto his shirt. Trying to find any source of comfort as sobs wracked her body again.

“H-he, can’t be…”

“He’s not,” Kanan’s deep voice was a steady sound in the fear in her mind. As his arms tightened around her, he spoke again. “He’s okay, Sabine. It’ll be okay, it’ll be okay.”

Sabine gripped Kanan’s shirt tighter, willing herself to believe him.

“Sabine, they need you out there right now! The Indictor is still working, they need explosions.” Hera’s voice echoed through the room.

“Kanan, I…I can’t…” Sabine whispered, not trusting her voice to speak any louder.

“Sabine, look at me,” Kanan said quietly, and waited until she complied. Then he looked right at her, as if he could actually see her. “Ezra will be okay. I’ll stay here with him. I’ll make sure he is okay. But the rebellion needs you, we all do. I know you can do this. And I promise nothing will happen to Ezra.”

His words rang in her head, Sabine knew she needed to go. She had to go. If she didn’t more might die. But even as she nodded her head, her chest constricted. “I…I’ll go…but…”

“He’ll be okay Sabine.”

\----------

Kanan heard Sabine’s jetpack start up. Through the Force, he felt her hesitate, and he could almost imagine her looking back at Ezra one more time. He smiled at her and nodded encouragingly. And then her presence was gone.

The smile dropped immediately. Kanan had to be there for Sabine. Even in the nose gun, he had felt her pain, her fear. There was no way he could’ve ignored that. He also couldn’t ignore the worry he felt radiating from the rest of the crew, especially Hera. Kanan didn’t need to see her to know she was overwhelmed with worry for Ezra. Everyone was worried, and that’s why Kanan had to be strong.

When the gravity well had exploded, Kanan had felt it immediately. He felt all the explosions around him, especially when those resulted in death. But the gravity well was different. Because it was Ezra. Ezra, the boy who had taught Kanan so much. Who had helped make him the man he was today. There was a connection between them. One that nothing could damage. One that linked them closer than any other person. And now it was weak. Kanan could feel how frail Ezra’s Force signature was. Surviving this would be a miracle.

But Kanan couldn’t tell the crew. Not yet. They needed to get away. Phoenix Squadron needed to escape first. If they knew just how critical Ezra’s condition was, no one would be able to focus.

Making his way carefully to Ezra, Kanan gently picked up his apprentice – a boy who had become more than just a padawan. Jedi weren’t supposed to have families, they weren’t supposed to get attached. But Kanan had failed miserably on that part. After all of the pain of losing loved ones, he had learned to love again. First with Hera, and then with the rest of the crew. Especially Ezra. A boy he understood, a boy who was so like him. He was like a son, the only son Kanan would ever had. And the thought of losing him broke his heart.

“Ezra…” he whispered softly. “Please don’t give up…”

\----------

Getting into hyperspace was a relief. It wasn’t a victory, it was barley even a success. But they had escaped. Hera’s worries weren’t over however. Ever since she had gotten Sabine’s comm, she had pushed her emotions down. She had to stay in control, had to keep her head about her if they were ever going to get away from Atollon. But despite her best efforts, a knot of worry had built up in her chest. Kanan had assured her that Ezra was okay. He had sounded so sure. Hera wanted to trust his word. Kanan knew Ezra best, but something still felt…wrong.

“Chopper, take the Ghost, calculate a hyperspace jump in-between here and Yavin,” she said, trying to keep her voice steady even as her feet sped up. She had to see Ezra for herself, she had to know.

Sliding down the ladder into the cargo bay, Hera’s eyes were immediately drawn towards Kanan, who was carefully holding Ezra, talking quietly to him.

At first, Hera thought maybe that was a good sign. Maybe Ezra was conscious, if he was awake, he would be okay. But then she noticed the pallor of his skin, and then Kanan’s voice reached her.

“I don’t know what I’d do without you, Ezra…”

In a different situation, those words might’ve been comforting, but not now. The pain in Kanan’s voice was real. He was begging Ezra to stay alive…

The realization rammed into Hera. She felt weak, her legs shook. But she forced herself to walk forward.

Kanan looked up quickly as she neared. Even without his eyes, she could tell how distraught he was and she realized he knew this whole time. He had known how bad it was, but he hadn’t told anyone. Because he knew they needed to focus.

“Hera…” his voice was so quiet, so scared.

And that was all the confirmation she needed. Falling to her knees next to Ezra, Hera forced herself to look at him. The boy who had joined her crew almost on accident, but had made it far better. Who had been through so much and had still grown into a strong and kind teenager. Yes, there were times when he infuriated her, but nothing he did would ever make her care about him less. And now here he was, on death’s door…

“There has to be something we can do. I might have some bacta in the med room. And then when we get to Yavin I’m sure they have a med center there and he’ll be okay and-” Hera’s voice broke. All the emotions she had been burying came to the surface, and the pain was just too real. She could lose Ezra today…and she wasn’t ready for that.

“I can go check if you want to…to stay with him.” Kanan’s voice was still quiet, still hurting, but despite that, he was still trying to be strong. For her.

Hera opened her mouth, about to argue that she could go. But then she looked at Ezra again and her heart broke. She couldn’t leave him like this. It was only now she realized Sabine’s hesitance to leave during the battle. Reaching out, she placed her hand under Kanan’s, and carefully took him from Kanan. Most of his body was on the ground still, but she held his chest up, just as Kanan had been doing. As if reassuring Ezra that they were there.

“I’ll be back as soon as I can,” Kanan said before climbing the ladder out of the hold.

Once again, Hera looked down at Ezra. She could barely see the rise and fall of his chest, and his body felt colder than it should.

“Oh Ezra…sweetheart…” her voice trailed off as she caressed his head in her hand before pulling him close. “Please don’t go…”


End file.
